Cricket 3 years ago

The Ashes: Remorseless England clobber Australia by 169 runs

For all the criticism that had been thrown England's way, by the end of the first test, it was the critics themselves who needed a sofa to hide behind. By the time England had finished Australia's trouncing at The SWALEC Stadium in Cardiff, the memories of Australia unleashing hell like never before at The Gabba some year and a half ago had all banished high into the evening sky.

It was all so reminiscent of a battle between mesomorphs and lightweights, wasn't it? Because what eventuated was a walloping anyway, of course the difference being that the lightweight wasn't so light after all. As the whole of the boisterous Cardiff crowd chanted "Stand up if you're 1-0 up", there was Moeen Ali, one of the heroes of the match with five wickets and 92 runs, wrapping the affairs up in the most fitting of manners, as Joe Root - the King of England, yes, the King of England - took the catch and the nation erupted with ebullience as was never felt and freshness as was never experienced.

The delectable victory, though, wasn't to come without the relentless efforts of the bowlers and Alastair Cook who had always been clear about the plans to each and every batsman, and such plans as were built upon the bricks of discipline. Again, it was the implementation of those plans which was even staggering, not to forget inch-perfect.

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The first of all dismissals in the day came exactly as it was supposed to as Chris Rogers was squared up the backfoot by an on-fire Stuart Broad and what was to follow was certainly clear thereafter. Whereas David Warner was done by Cook's instinct which obviously prompted him to bring Moeen Ali on just before Lunch, Michael Clarke, Steven Smith and Adam Voges were all made to commit errors by some fastidious bowling from the both ends forcing the batsmen to do something strange or silly.

Alastair Cook's captaincy - and the man himself - then came back to haunt Australia, with Haddin falling to an absolute blinder of a catch by Cook, who had placed himself at an overly shortish mid-on position for the very shot he expected the Australian wicketkeeper to play. Shane Watson then soon walked back to the pavilion, you know how.

As if The Ashes had already started to miss those seventh-wicket stands, The Mitchells began their kind of torture, in a partnership that lasted long enough to bore the English fans. Root's time it was once more, the Yorkshire Cricketer then claiming the next two wickets, before Moeen Ali brought to an end, a memorable win for England.

Fair to say England have the force with them right now, and matters could get worse for Australia from hereon in.